Green put on a show

IU coach Archie Miller appears to have settled on this new starting lineup, with Freddie McSwain in for his rebounding, and Zach McRoberts his defense.

But nobody has been a bigger beneficiary of his new role than Green, the sophomore guard who is not so quietly emerging as Indiana’s newest leading man.

"To me, right now, he’s playing as good as we’ve had a guard play all season, just in terms of having the ability to make plays," said IU coach Archie Miller. "He’s a guy that can see the game a little bit, a couple steps ahead."

Green has burned hot and cold this season, but his 20-point performance in the late-January loss at Ohio State seems to have been a turning point in his season. He followed that with a composed outing in the loss to Michigan State, started at Rutgers and shut Corey Sanders down, and then exploded Friday night.

By the time he exited for good, with a little over one minute to play, Green had 19 points, four rebounds and seven assists. He hit four 3-pointers. A couple of those assists were crowd pleasers, including the baseball pass to Morgan for a transition dunk.

"It’s not always a home run, You can go for the single every once in a while, and I think he’s starting to go for the singles," Miller said of Green. "Every once in a while, you’re gonna see him make a couple plays that a lot of people can’t make, because he’s very talented."

The Hoosiers have longed for a third option behind Morgan and Robert Johnson. As the season winds toward March, Devonte Green is giving them one.

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Indiana Hoosiers guard Robert Johnson (4) and Indiana Hoosiers forward Juwan Morgan (13) celebrate during a stoppage in play during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2018. (Michael Hickey for The Star) Michael Hickey, Michael Hickey for The Star

Indiana Hoosiers forward Justin Smith (3) lays the ball up during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2018. (Michael Hickey for The Star) Michael Hickey, Michael Hickey for The Star

Indiana Hoosiers guard Aljami Durham (1) reacts after a three point basket during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2018. (Michael Hickey for The Star) Michael Hickey, Michael Hickey for The Star

Indiana Hoosiers guard Zach McRoberts (15) reaches for the rebound during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2018. (Michael Hickey for The Star) Michael Hickey, Michael Hickey for The Star

Indiana Hoosiers guard Robert Johnson (4) passes the ball off during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2018. (Michael Hickey for The Star) Michael Hickey, Michael Hickey for The Star

Archie finds his lineup

Green’s introduction — and subsequent excellence — has been a big part of it. But the other elements of that lineup shouldn’t be overlooked.

Morgan and Johnson are its anchors. McRoberts’ defense has been a boost. Green’s scoring and passing abilities take some of the load off Johnson. And McSwain does something similar for Morgan on defense, handling other teams’ bigs to start.

Its weaknesses, particularly the lack of size, reflect Indiana’s more broadly. But it’s a five-man lineup that gives Miller matchup options, scoring threats and energy to start. Avoiding injury, it looks like the way home for IU starting games the rest of the season.

"I would say that’s our best five right now this season," Miller said. "That’s why they’re in there together."

Defense continues upward swing

Indiana has actually been trending up at that end of the floor for a while now. Friday night proved a continuation of good work done against Rutgers at the beginning of the week.

"It’s nothing that we didn’t work through every day," Morgan said. "It’s just finally breaking through that door. "

As a team, Minnesota shot just 33.3 percent from the floor. The Golden Gophers only managed 0.81 points per possession. Stars Jordan Murphy and Nate Mason, hounded by tight coverage and double teams all evening, finished a combined 11-of-31 from the field.

Minnesota traveled south wounded, down two starts and slumping. Indiana didn’t let the Gophers break their funk in Bloomington.